in Love and War
by doodle queen13
Summary: Cupid, or Amore Rose Valentine, did not expect to become a Guardian, especially only 30 years since Pitch was defeated. But now he's back, and with his new companion Bloody Mary, they have a plan to terrify every child who has one of North's gifts. With Cupid as the new guardian, will they be able to stop Pitch and Mary? Contains JackxOC, a dash of SandyxTooth, and maybe PitchxOC.
1. Chapter 1

My name is Cupid.

Well, more specifically it's Amore Rose Valentine, but somehow my nickname changed over the years from Amore to Cupid. Don't ask me how THAT works.

Anywho, so far it's been about 30 years since Pitch rose to power and nearly conquered the earth- or at least Burgess. I'm a fairly new spirit- about 270 years old, give or take. My predecessor, also named Amore Rose Valentine, died around 300 years ago. For those 30- odd years there were a LOT of breakups, tons of awful obsession cases, and the whole 'tragic romance' thing picked up a bit more speed. MiM apparently decided this was seriously bad, and appointed me to the job of helping relationships. So, basically, I'm a spirit guidance counselor.

I'm not bitter, though. Really. I love my job! Getting to see people that become happier from what I do is one of the best things in the world. And, while I have help from my little cherubs, I prefer to work in the field.

I'm good friends with Toothiana- the way we run our palaces and take care of our jobs is very similar. We also share similar attitudes- we're both fairly bubbly and try to see the good in every situation. I haven't seen Tooth in a while because of the Pitch incident- I hope I can see my friend soon.

As I look out the window of my palace in the sky, I notice a snaking green and purple light passing towards the Tooth palace. North appears to be calling a meeting.

I wonder briefly to myself what it would be like to be invited to one of those meetings- to be a Guardian. Mentally, I pinch myself. I can't think that way- I'll work up false hope, only to be crushed. And I know altogether too well how that feels.

I hear a noise behind me. Before I can truly process it, a bucket of ice cubes is thrown over my head. I shout indignantly, turning around to face the perpetrator, only to be greeted by an empty hallway and the sound of a boy laughing. Jack Frost, most likely with Sandman. I storm down the hallway to my room, shaking ice out of my (now cold and soaking wet) blond curls. I plan revenge schemes for the next time I see him as I comb out my hair, trying to ease the anger. It isn't even really about my hair, just that I wasn't alert enough to sense either of them. I sigh, frustrated.

_This is just gonna be one of those nights, isn't it?_

**At the North Pole**

North paces worriedly, stroking his beard absentmindedly as he ponders.

Manny had spoken to him. As is, literally SPOKE. He only does that when a spirit is born, and even then only to that spirit. Something must be very bad, seeing as Manny had given him explicit instructions to gather his fellow protectors of childhood.

Right on cue, Bunnymund pops out of a tunnel in the floor a few feet away from the anxiously pacing North.

"This 'ad better be good, mate. The eggs 'ave decided to go on a bloody rampage. I 'ad to round the little buggers up, and-"

"Yes, bunny. Is going to be fine. Other guardians should be here any second." North states, absently waving a dismissive hand at the Bunny. Just as the Pooka opens his mouth to retort, looking a bit indignant, Tooth flies through an open window followed by around fifteen baby teeth.

"Hello North, Bunny- bicuspid, 584 Greene street, Atlanta- What's the problem? I'm a bit- left incisor, 32nd street, New Jersey- busy tonight." Tooth chatters, directing several fairies in the middle of her greeting.

"Ve have big problem," North says, promptly turning his back on both his fellow guardians to resume pacing and refusing to say another word.

Sandy floats in a few seconds later, followed almost immediately by Jack. Both are laughing near hysterically at a prank they appear to have pulled. In the years following Pitch's defeat, they had become as thick as thieves, pranking other spirits as well as humans almost incessantly.

"What's the problem?" Jack asks, casually twirling his staff.

"Man in moon- he spoke to me." North says, gaining a gasp of disbelieving shock from all present.

"He _spoke _ta' you, mate?" Bunny asks incredulously. The others nod their agreement.

"He hasn't said a word since the day I became a spirit- why would he need to talk to us now?" Tooth asks, teeth forgotten for the moment.

"I do not know- he said only "Gather the Guardians" and vas silent," North replies.

"You called us 'ere for three bloody words, mate?!" Bunny accuses angrily.

"It vas MiM! I had no choice!" North retorts, and the topic quickly escalates into a yelling match between the two Guardians.

Sandy had been trying to get the Guardian's attention for a while now. _'This is starting to feel suspiciously like deja vu', _he thinks to himself. He frantically starts searching for a stray elf- to his dismay, they all appear to be hiding in fear of the fighting Guardians, now trying to refrain from screaming at each other.

At his wits end, Sandy flies over to Jack and steals his staff, much to Jack's indignation.

"Hey! Sandy, give that- wait, what?" Sandy again gestures at the shining moon, and mimes yelling.

"Oh- gotcha." immediately, Jack slams the butt of his staff on the ground, causing a wave of icy cold to blast the Guardians and shock them into silence.

"I think the moon might be trying to tell us something," Jack says, gesturing towards the glowing rock.

The Guardians all crane their necks to see the moon through the opening in the ceiling. A slanting ray of light slowly enters, shining on the floor and creating the silhouette of-

"Pitch!?" The Guardians cry as one.

"But- but we just defeated him! He's back already?!" Tooth says, glancing around disbelievingly.

"Wait," North gestures, and the group falls silent.

Another silhouette is displayed, this one of a girl with crazy hair and a pert nose. North's face pales and Bunny lays his ears flat against his head. Jack looks around, confused.

"Uh- new guy here. Who the heck's she?"

"Bloody Mary," Tooth whispers, visibly trembling at the mere name.

"Wait- like, the weird urban legend thing? Where you spin around in a dark bathroom and she pops up in a mirror? Why's she so scary?" Jack asks, slightly unnerved by the terror on his friend's faces. Before anyone can answer him, the light shines on a space in the floor, which slides open to reveal a huge blue crystal.

"Another Guardian? So soon, Manny?" North asks. Tooth looks excited. Bunny just prays quietly, "Please, for the love of MiM, do NOT be the bloody groundhog," and Jack and Sandy lean forward expectantly. The blue crystal emerges, and displays the figure of a girl, around 16, holding a bow and quiver of arrows. Wings protrude from her back, tall and feathery. She wears a knee- length dress with a lace- up corset- like bodice, and her long hair frames her pretty face. She grins almost knowingly. Tooth squeals happily, hugging Sandy out of sheer joy that her best friend was chosen. North looks puzzled but happy, Bunny looks scared, and Jack looks positively horrified.

"Shit..." he mumbles, pulling a hand through his white hair. He turns to Sandy, who is gasping for breath and looking a bit flustered. Tooth looks a bit embarrassed, and also flustered. Jack makes a mental note to tease Sandy about it later, but in the meantime he informs Sandy of their current predicament.

"Uh, Sandy... we might be in trouble." Jack says, pointing to the crystal. Sandy's eyes widen in panic.

"Jack, how about you go get the new Guardian?" North suggests. The frost spirit immediately tries to inform North of exactly why this is a very, very bad idea, but North merely laughs, shoves a burlap sack into his hands, and fairly throws him out the open window. Jack swallows nervously and flies off, tossing the bag to the ground as he flies towards Cupid's headquarters.

_I hope she won't kill me..._

~!^*||*^!~+

Chapter 1 done! I hope you guys enjoy. This is my first ROTG fic, so please don't hate if I didn't get the accents quite right! It is very hard to type like a 7 foot tall Australian rabbit. It is also hard to type like a jolly Russian Hulk. I understand all writers that try to do this.

Leave a review if you liked it or have any ideas/ criticisms. Thank you!

Kisses! :*

~the doodle queen


	2. Chapter 2

Jack lands on the railing of a balcony just outside Cupid's palace. He balances for a few seconds, reluctant to enter. He takes a deep breath, steeling himself and preparing for the worst before knocking on the doors that lead inside. After a few seconds of awkward silence, he decides to enter without permission. What's the worst place he could end up, anyway? Cupid already hates him.

As the doors swing silently open and he looks around the room, he realizes he must be in a storage unit. The large shelves are full of crates and stacks of arrows. He heads towards the door at the far side of the room, and swings it open-

Knocking a baby out of midair.

The tiny child has downy blond hair, rosy cheeks, and endearing blue eyes. It appears to be wrapped in a white sheet-like garment and carries a miniature bow and quiver of arrows. All in all, it would be adorable- that is, if it wasn't giving him a death glare and screaming it's head off.

"What the HELL! Watch where you're GOING, dude! I'm trying to FLY here! Do you WANNA break my neck?! HUH?! Do- mmmph!" Jack slaps a hand over the little girl's mouth.

"Hey! Don't yell at me! I didn't mean to hit you! I'm really sorry- uh-" He takes his hand off the girl's mouth cautiously, wary of another outburst.

"Angela." He smiles a little in relief. She seems much calmer now that he's apologized.

"I'm Jack." He holds out a hand, and the girl- Angela- shakes it.

"A pleasure to meet you, Jack." He grins at the politeness of the little girl, who had so recently been mad enough to swear at him. An idea suddenly pops into his head- this girl can easily take him to Cupid!

"Hey, Angela, do you think you could do me a favor?"

"Only if you say please!" She grins. Jack smiles at the request.

"Angela, will you please, pretty please, do me a favor?" he asks, bowing exaggeratedly. Angela laughs.

"But of course! What do you need?"

"I need to see Cupid. The Guardians sent me to get her." Angela frowns at the statement, but nods to Jack.

"I can take you to her, but she might be cranky. Her hair got wet somehow earlier, and she HATES having wet hair."

Inwardly, Jack cringes. "I'll take my chances. Lead the way!"

Angela smiles and snaps her tiny fingers. Immediately, tiny white wings sprout out of her back, and she flutters up to hover in front of Jack. He grabs her tiny hand, and they start off down the hallway.

**Cupid POV**

I direct another cherub towards France, my favorite city. So much love there! I make a mental note to visit soon.

I'm standing on a pedestal in the middle of a huge room. Cherubs swarm like bees around me, eagerly awaiting directions. I rapidly send them off in different directions, my wings flapping excitedly behind me. This is one of the best and yet scariest things about my job- knowing that so many of these little guys depend on me.

"Hey, do any of you know where Angela went? She's been a while at the storage room."

"I don't know, miss, but she can't be much longer!" says one of the cherubs.

"Thank you, Leo. I'm sure you're right." As if on cue, Angela appears. She zips up to me on her darling little wings.

"Angela! There you are, *_cherie! _Where are the arrows? Did you find them?"

"Oh- Sorry, miss! I got sidetracked!"

"That's perfectly all right, darling, but what happened?"

"Well, you have a visitor."

"Oh- I do? Well, show them in! I'd like to see them!" I say excitedly. I wonder if it's Tooth?

Angela zips away into the hallway again. I hear her talking, and then a very masculine sounding laugh. That is _definitely_ not Tooth. Who is that? It sounds familiar...

Angela returns, dragging behind her a grinning Jack Frost.

"*_Sainte Mere de Deiu!_" I yelp, jumping back a step. He looks at me with a weird expression on his face- awe and something I can't quite read. Maybe terror? I look him over with wide eyes. He's barefoot, brown pants, blue hoodie, and odd white hair. He's- kinda cute. Kinda really cute...

Holy shit, I did NOT just think that.

"Uh... I-" He clears his throat, "Sorry about the ice bucket thing earlier." He grins sheepishly. He has a nice smile...

My anger comes back almost immediately. I glare at him, and he cringes.

"Well, you should be, you irresponsible hellion! Do you _know _ how much trouble my poor cupids had to go to to clean that mess up?! Huh?!" I walk up to him, poking him in the chest at every emphasized word.

"You ought to be ashamed of your antics, you *_salaud_! What did I ever do to you?!"

"I-" he looks at the ground, ashamed. I feel a bit bad about the harsh words, but what he did was still childish and rude.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to cause you trouble." He looks up at me with the absolute saddest face ever- and my resolve crumbles.

"_*desole_, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. And while you probably meant to do just that- cause trouble- I forgive you."

He grins hopefully. "You don't hate me, then?"

"Of course not! It was only a prank. It just had me pissed for a while."

"Great! Because we have to go somewhere."

"Wait- what?" but before I get an answer, he grabs my hand and runs to an open window, jumping out.

"*_Seigneur, aie pitie!" _I yelp as Jack and I free fall. I quickly spread my wings, immediately slowing my fall and most likely nearly yanking Jack's arm out of it's socket.

"Shit!" Jack yells.

"Sorry! I panicked!"

"It's fine..." and he lets go, doing a midair back-flip before flying up beside me.

"Show- off." I mutter. He grins and then winces as he rolls his shoulder, trying to pop his arm back into place.

"You got quite the grip there, lover- girl." He grins.

"Me? I thought it was _you_ who was clinging so tightly to _me, _freezer- burn,"I quip, smirking.

"Why, Valentine! Are you insinuating that I have a crush on you?" He dramatically slaps a hand over his heart, looking mock offended. It takes all I have not to laugh.

"Yep. Deny all you want- you obviously think I'm gorgeous." I flip my hair over my shoulder haughtily. He presses his lips together, biting back a laugh.

"Well, you weren't exactly eager to pull away either, as I recall. You seemed perfectly happy to have me drag you to wherever it was we were going," He says, waving his eyebrows suggestively. I can't help it- I giggle this time.

"Speaking of which, where _were _we going?"

"North's place. I'll explain on the way," He says, jokes forgotten. He takes off, and I follow closely behind him.

"So- North's place. I saw the Aurora calling for a meeting- is Pitch back _already_!?" I gasp. Jack eyes me appreciatively.

"You're very perceptive." I grin. "For a blond." I stare at him, wide- eyed and enraged. He laughs.

"Oh, _HELL NO!_" I screech, making Jack laugh harder. I grab him by the front of his hoodie, stopping abruptly. He stares at me, eyes like saucers, laughter forgotten.

"Don't even THINK," I growl under my breath, "About questioning my intelligence based upon my physical appearance _ever again._ Do you hear me?" He looks positively terrified, either at my rant or the fact that we're nose to nose. I bite back a chuckle.

"Y- yes ma'am." He stutters in a low whisper. I release his hoodie, satisfied.

"Good." I fight back a blush at how close we are- he hasn't moved. I clear my throat, looking away from his shocking blue eyes. He seems to realize how awkward the situation is and promptly moves.

"We should keep going," He mutters, flying forwards.

"So, you didn't tell me if Pitch was back or not," I say, breaking the silence.

"Oh- yeah, he is, and apparently he has help from Bloody Mary." I gasp.

"Bloody Mary?! For real?! Ooh, she is one scary *_chienne..._" I trail off. I glance at Jack. "Pardon my French."

He looks exasperated. "Does everybody know who this chick is but me? And why is she so scary!?"

"The others didn't tell you?"

"They never got the chance."

"Oh. Well, she's the queen of fear."

"I thought that was Pitch...?"

"Yes, Jack. Pitch is the queen of fear." I deadpan. Jack snorts.

"Let's move on. I'd rather not imagine the Nightmare King in drag."

I shudder. "Yes, let's. Eeew..." Jack laughs at my disgusted expression.

"Anyway, she's not technically the queen of _all _fear. She controls things like horror films, haunted houses-"

"How does she do that?"

"She gives the creators inspiration. You know Tim Burton?"

"Yeah?"

"She's particularly attached to him. His mind is apparently easy to inspire with dark thoughts or something."

"Huh."

"Yeah. But, the reason she's so scary is- well, her nickname is the Mistress of Madness."

"Oh. That's- creepy."

"I know. She's known for scaring people to the point where they will actually go insane."

"Oh my god. That's- "

"Horrifying? Yes. I assume she hasn't really been a threat before because she tends to keep things low- key. Now, however- if she's paired with the Nightmare King, and wants to be believed in- she'll know your greatest fears. And that makes it all that much easier to get inside your head."

Jack, by this point, looks like he's going to throw up. I feel sick myself. I decide to change the subject.

"So- why do the Guardians need me?"

"Well- apparently, Manny thinks you can help us." Jack grins.

"Wait- you mean I'm a GUARDIAN?!" I squeal in delight. This is incredible!

"Yep. Tooth should be happy to see you."

"Oh my GOD! I haven't seen her in forever!"

"You two are friends?"

Before I can reply, Jack's eyes light up.

"We're here." I was so busy talking with Jack I didn't even notice the change in temperature. Now, it's rather obvious, and I shiver. Before I can complain, however, I look up and gasp.

The North Pole, otherwise known as Santoff Clausen or the workshop, stands out magnificently against the snowy backdrop. It looks like a palace in Russia, with huge, colorful, gold tipped spires that seem to touch the clouds. As we fly closer, I can hear the knock of hammers, grunting of- are those yetis?- and jingling bells. The whole thing is surreal.

Jack regards my open- mouthed stare of wonder with a smirk.

"You're gonna attract flies, lover- girl." I snap my mouth shut to glare at him.

"Shut up, Jackie. You can't act like you didn't stare few minutes when you first saw this place." I retort. He just smirks wider and flies toward a huge set of red doors.

As he lands, me following a few seconds later, the doors fly open and a massive creature- a yeti, maybe- grabs Jack by the hood of his jacket. He yells something unintelligible at Jack, and Jack smiles sheepishly.

"Hey, Phil. Nice to see you too." I chuckle.

"The Yeti's name is Phil?" Seemingly for the first time, the yeti- Phil- notices me. He promptly drops Jack, who lands unceremoniously on the floor, and shoves me into the hallway past the doors. Jack gets up and follows us in, as the yeti closes the doors behind us. I suppress a laugh.

"I get the feeling that Phil doesn't like you too much, Jack," I say as Phil leads us down hallway after hallway, over numerous catwalks, and through a few doors.

"Oh, really? You think so?" Jack asks sarcastically. I giggle as the yeti grunts, annoyed. Finally, the yeti takes us to another pair of double doors, shoving them open and revealing a massive globe, covered in little gold pinpricks of light. Standing in front of the globe are the Sandman, North, Tooth, and the Easter Bunny. All appear to be engaged in a heated debate, seemingly about whether Easter was more important than Christmas.

As the doors swing open, the Guardians fall silent. Tooth takes one look at me and squeals, zipping over to tackle me with a hug that nearly cracks my ribs.

"Oh my God! Amy! I haven't seen you in forever, I'm so sorry about that by the way, but you're here now and I'm so excited and-"

"Whoa! Tooth, honey, slow down! I'm excited to see you too, *_ma cherie_, I just wish I could've met you under better circumstances." She releases me immediately and stares at me, concern evident on her delicate features.

"So Jack told you about the whole Pitch business?"

"Yeah, and I know I'm a Guardian," I say, looking at the rest of the group. I smirk, hands on my hips.

"Nice to meet you all, I'm Amore Valentine. I hear I'm needed to whup some evil ass?"

_~(* %$% *)~_

Hello! I've updated, finally. Jeez, you guys do not mess around when it comes to updating- I think my story might've been on page 12. Anywho, please drop a review- they boost my self esteem, if nothing else. So anyways, keep reading, and I'll update faster next time! Bye guys!

P.S. Here's the French- _cherie- _honey, darling- an endearment

_Sainte Mere de Deiu- _Holy mother of God

_salaud- _bastard, son of a bitch

_desole- _sorry

_Seigneur, ai pitie- _Lord have mercy

_chienne- _bitch

_ma cherie- _my darling

Kisses! :*

~the doodle queen


	3. Chapter 3

"_Nice to meet you all, I'm Amore Valentine. I hear I'm needed to whup some evil ass?"_

**Cupid POV**

I look around the room. Everyone basically looks like I had expected them to except Bunny. He looks kind of like a massive, grumpy kangaroo. North coughs.

"Yes, Amore. We need your help. Pitch is back after only short amount of time-"

"30 years, correct?" I interrupt, and he nods. " Also, he has Bloody Mary with him, and I've been chosen as a Guardian, is that right too?" At his shocked face, I inform them that Jack filled me in on everything I needed to know on the way as Jack floats above me, grinning at the large man mischievously. The others seem to converse telepathically with eyebrow raises and worried glances as Bunny and Sandman walk and drift, respectively, towards me. Bunny holds out a hand- er, paw.

Before I continue, you should know- I can hear thoughts about love. If I want to focus in on an individual, I can hear any love- related thoughts as clear as if they had said them aloud. So when I focus in on Bunny and hear the rabbit think almost overwhelmingly about how making people fall in love is a useless asset, I feel a bit offended.

I shake his hand and grin, fuming inwardly. I don't like this guy too much, though he is kindhearted, I can tell that much. I think he just hasn't found love yet, poor guy, as he hasn't gotten that close to many females. However, his thoughts don't sit well with me, so I coat my voice in honey and shake the Pooka's hand.

"I had no idea the Easter Bunny was so badass." The Guardian grins at the complement.

"I also figured you'd look distinctly more rabbit- like. With the tail out of the equation, you look kinda like a kangaroo. The accent doesn't help." I smirk as his face quickly turns red with rage. Jack busts out laughing.

"Oh, come on! I 'ave to deal with another bloody Frost!"

"It's even worse," I inform him, "You can't punch me. I'm a girl." Bunny's head looks like it's going to explode, so I move on to shake the Sandman's hand. He appears to be stifling laughter, so I figure I have an ally to tease the kangaroo with.

"_*Bonsoir,_ Sandman. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Bunny splutters indignantly at the overly polite introduction. Sandman just giggles silently, creating a bowler hat out of sand and tipping it in a gentlemanly fashion. I move away and make to shake North's hand, but he grabs it and pulls me in for a bone- cracking hug.

"Ack! North..." I cough, "I- it's nice to meet you too." He lets go after what seems like eons, and I gasp for breath, all going unnoticed by the oblivious North. Bunny snickers, and I give him the evil eye.

"And I see you already know Tooth and Jack," North says as I catch my breath.

"Yes, yes." I look around the room. "So- what happens now?"

"Oh! You take Guardian oath!" North claps his big hands, and a yeti appears, lugging a massive book. North takes it from the yeti's hands, opening it to a marked page. He opens his mouth to speak, and I suddenly panic.

"Wait! I- I don't know if I can." North jumps, dropping the book in surprise with a loud thump.

"What?" North looks flabbergasted. "Of course you can! Man in Moon says so!" He stoops to pick up the book, and I freak out a little- again.

"NO!" I yelp. North straightens, surprised and a little annoyed.

"I- don't know if it's a good idea for me to guard the children." Everyone stares at me, silently, and I suddenly feel very embarrassed.

"Why on earth not?" Tooth asks gently, breaking the silence.

"W- well, you see- my center is obviously love, right? And how many 6- year- olds do you see in a serious relationship? None. I focus mainly on romantic love because that's where I get the most power from, but if your hormones aren't in effect, making you actually attracted to someone, I can't make you fall in love. So- if I protect children- it's going to be hard to use my powers to help them directly."

North looks deep in thought, as do most of the rest. Bunny looks a bit triumphant, and I glare at him.

"Well," North says after a while, "Is not important now. Ve vill figure it out soon, I can feel it... in my belly!" I bite back a laugh at how convinced the Cossack looks at his odd statement, but nod.

"I'm sure your- uh- belly is right, North. I'll figure it out."

Suddenly a loud noise hits my ears, making me cringe. All the Guardians are either looking for the source of the noise or grimacing themselves, when a large whoosh of air that seems to come from the globe knocks each of us back, even North.

A laugh suddenly echoes throughout the workshop. It makes me gasp in horror, and I cover my ears to block it, but to no avail. It's decidedly feminine, but raspy- like nails on a chalkboard- and it has a strange tone to it, like there are multiple voices laughing over each other. It sounds deranged and hysterical, as well as creepy, and I fall to my knees as the awful noise bounces around my skull.

"Well," Says the voice, the laughter as well as the strange tone to it finally stopping, "What a beautiful group! Such capacity for terror in all those happy little minds!"

I look up, and standing on the globe is a woman. She has long, midnight black hair that falls in lank strands to her calves. She wears a long dress with a train that looks to be made from red, ripped lace, and her leg sticks out from a slit up the side of the dress. Her skin is deathly pale, almost white, aside from her startlingly red lipstick and her black, soulless eyes. Her eyes are like pits- hollow, sunken holes that mar her otherwise delicate, pretty features. She speaks with a British accent.

"Bloody Mary," I say, sneering the name as I pick myself up off the floor. The others follow suit, drawing and readying their various weapons as they take defensive stances. I draw my bow, nocking an arrow, and she laughs again.

"Oh, please, Amore. What will you do, make me fall in love?" She smiles at me mockingly, showing off reddish stained teeth- as though she drinks blood. Tooth cringes at the horrific teeth, glaring more harshly at Mary, who seems amused.

"Well, _Guardians,_ it appears you have a new member. But are you sure you're ready? I mean, _really._ How much of an asset will _she _be against us?"

At the word 'us', Pitch steps from around the side of the globe and stands just behind Mary, smiling cruelly. I narrow my eyes suspiciously at the two, trying to concentrate on their thoughts for each other. If they like each other, it might be an advantage I can use.

However, before I can concentrate, I hear a clopping noise, like wood blocks being knocked together. Suddenly, Mary and Pitch are joined by- is that a toy robot? It walks on it's own, but rather than being painted a jolly color, it's a dull grayish.

"Oh, did we forget to tell you about our little helpers?" Pitch asks, his awful smile widening. North looks aghast.

"Look familiar, North? We've found a way to make all the little toys a bit more... interesting." Apparently fed up, Jack lets out an angry yell and blasts Pitch with a shot of ice- or rather, the spot where Pitch (and Mary) used to be.

Suddenly, I hear a noise from behind me. Before I can turn, I feel awful, warm breath on the nape of my neck. I shudder in disgust, and the others whirl around, their eyes landing on Pitch. They each let out a yell and start to charge him, but he sweeps his arms around me and transports both of us to the top of the Globe before I can even blink. The others turn once again to stare up at the Globe, helpless as Pitch encases both of us in a cage of nightmare sand.

"And who's this? My, she's quite pretty. A shame if something were to happen to her..." Pitch says, and I can practically feel him smirk. Jack yelps in anger and indignation, and my disgust transforms to rage. How dare he, that perverted, sick, evil _salaud_!

I wheel around as fast as I can, bringing my fist up and grinning in satisfaction when I feel it make contact with Pitch's jaw. The cage falls and he steps back, bringing a shocked hand up to assess the damage before looking at me, gold eyes slitted in loathing.

"I... will _kill _you for that..." He says, his voice dangerously calm. I smile.

"I'm very sorry, but it's hard to take a threat seriously from a 30- odd- year old guy in a dress." The Guardian's eyes widen as they try to hold back their laughter at my statement, while Pitch looks positively murderous.

"You insolent BRAT!" He roars, and Bloody Mary appears at his side. She grips his arm gently, holding him back and stopping him from killing me (thank Jesus).

"Hush, Pitch. We will only harm the plan if we kill the girl now," Mary says in an oddly comforting tone. Pitch takes a deep breath and calms down, much to my surprise.

"You are right. But be warned, girl- when the time comes to kill you, I will make sure you suffer the most..." And with that, he and Mary are gone. I try to calm my thundering heart at his chilling statement as I spread my wings and glide down to the floor.

"Well... shit." I say, my wings folding up again. Jack smirks, despite the events that just occurred.

"Shit is right, lover- girl," Jack says, jumping impossibly high to balance on top of his staff. He opens his mouth to say something else, when I hear that clopping noise again, coming from behind me. I turn, and there's the sad, gray robot, walking steadily towards me.

"Uh... guys? Guys, it's following me," I say, backing up and changing direction only to have the toy follow suit. Jack laughs at the terror in my words, but North just looks confused.

"I vonder... hmm..." He says, narrowing his eyes at the toy in thought.

Suddenly, the robot stops. It stands still for a few seconds, then it's head starts spinning around uncontrollably. It's limbs start moving as well, and while it may sound funny to read, it isn't. It's creepy and seizure- ish, almost like it's-

"Possessed?" Tooth whispers, flitting cautiously towards the spastic toy. It's arm suddenly flies off, making her scream and dart impossibly fast behind me. I snigger at her overly dramatic reaction, making her blush and glide sheepishly from behind my back.

North looks disturbed and confused. The toy has stopped spinning and flailing, instead bending itself into a horrible form of yoga, in an apparent attempt to break it's own arms. It's awful, and creepy as all hell. Bunny looks disgusted, finally throwing a boomerang at it and breaking it in half, putting it out of it's misery.

"Why," I mutter to myself, "Would they want to do this to the toys? What's the point?" I look at North, whose face contorts into one of awful realization.

"The toys... " I realize what will happen just as North says it.

"They vill use them to scare the kids." As the other Guardian's eyes widen, the robot twitches, and a stream of black sand spills out. The sand forms the figure of- I'm not even sure what it is. It's the size of a small toddler, but it has a freakishly large skull and an emaciated, bony body. It lets out a short, crazed laugh, like a hyena, and darts through a window and out into the night.

"Was that-" Bunny starts, and I cut him off.

"*_Le diable_?" I ask in French. Bunny looks annoyed.

"Nah, mate, not that. Was it a Fearling?" He asks to the rest of the group. Jack shrugs, and North and Tooth look unsure, but Sandy nods.

"Sandy says it was," Jack points out, and Sandy nods vigorously. He makes a sand Fearling above his head, then waves his finger around his temple, the widely accepted gesture for 'crazy'.

"The Fearling was- insane? Sandy, are you sure?" Tooth asks, hovering closer to him worriedly. Sandy nods decisively, confirming Tooth's statement. He also turns a bit darker gold- a blush?- when Tooth pats him on the shoulder absently, looking troubled. I smile excitedly- I might have a pairing!- before delving into Sandy's thoughts.

_*Mon Dieu._ Sandy's mind is so full of thoughts- it's like wading through molasses to try to get to what I need! Must be the consequence of not being able to talk- your mind is brimming with things you want to say. My heart wrenches a bit for the Sandman- that must be awful, not being able to speak. After a few seconds, however, I find what I wanted- he likes Tooth! A lot! And he has for a while, apparently. He doesn't want to make a move, though, because he's afraid she'll think he's crazy, or misinterpret it. Poor guy.

Next I search Tooth. Her mind is clearer, but still full of addresses and names of cities and streets- locations of teeth. Soon, though, I find her thoughts on Sandy. Thank God- she feels the same way for him! She's afraid to ask him, though- she's afraid a relationship will interfere with her work, and that Sandy will reject her. I sigh and smile as I pull out of Tooth's thoughts. Such a sweet pairing... I have to get them together. How, though... they can see me, and it's not like I can just whip out my bow and shoot them both! Besides, I don't even know how I'll find time, with this Mary and Pitch business.

I wonder...

~^-*(# #)*-^~

FIN! I'm sorry it took so long... I'm such a procrastinator. Also, sorry to leave you all on kind of a cliffy- I'll update faster next time! Thanks to olympusrox123 for the review- I felt like a massive fail after I read it, but I put in the French- and special thanks for being my first and only(emphasis on ONLY) reviewer!

Heres the French for this chapter:

_Bonsoir-_ good evening

_Le diable-_ the devil

_Mon Dieu-_ my God

That's it for this chapter! Please, please, pretty please review! They help me fix things that need to be fixed!

Kisses! :*

~the doodle queen


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